


Borderland

by beekeepercain



Series: In Fewer Words [22]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Afterlife, Fix-It, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-28
Updated: 2014-12-28
Packaged: 2018-03-04 01:02:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2903570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beekeepercain/pseuds/beekeepercain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I never had the chance to ask you," Abner spoke in a calm voice, "Why did you do it?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Borderland

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr prompts to fight off the gloominess of anoncalypse.

* * *

 

 

"… Abner. No. This - this can’t be."

The tunnel remained dark; freezing rain kept falling from the sky at both ends, but inside, it wasn’t as cold as out there. Gadreel stepped back, blade firmly in his grip - his eyes never left the dark form of the angel whose wings and halo both glowed in the dark. The angel’s aura wavered but its colour and shape were hidden from him, yet there was no question about it: it was Abner who stood there, against all odds.

"I never had the chance to ask you," Abner spoke in a calm voice, completely disregarding the older’s stuttered words, "Why did you do it?"

Gadreel hesitated; his foot was still set back to take him away one more step, but Abner reached out a hand towards him and somehow, that kept him still.  
"Don’t leave now, Gadreel. Stay. For my sake, if nothing else. I’m not going to hurt you, if that’s your concern. You know I never would."

It wasn’t Gadreel’s concern. Not really. He was much beyond fearing for his life. He wasn’t even entirely sure how he’d ended up here - what had happened prior to this, or even of what was this place that he now stood in. Bitter wind caressed his back and caused him to shiver and his bare wings did nothing to cover him from the cold.  
"I do not fear harm nor death," he admitted, "but seeing a ghost of an old friend -"

Abner stepped forwards, and the pale light from the street up above somewhere was cast as a blue shadow over his features. He was smiling, and although the situation alerted Gadreel, the smile was genuine and leaked warmth and it made him feel more confident. He could even see some traces of colour in the aura now, although Abner was still making sure he couldn’t make out the intents or the emotions of him from within it. His own, Gadreel realised, was fully visible and showed the fear that he felt. It was no surprise that Abner sensed it so easily, but Gadreel would not hide; not from Abner. Not even his ghost.

“I’m sorry, my friend,” he spoke instead, now still and standing balanced where he was.  
He did not take a step forwards but Abner did, and his pace quickened until he was within an arm’s length from Gadreel: for one reason or the other, although Abner was certainly right and Gadreel would have never thought he’d harm him, he prepared for the sting of a blade piercing him through. None came. Instead, a hug did; the younger held onto him firmly until he had the mind to respond in kind.  
"You idiot," Abner muttered.  
"You were always a little slow."

A chuckle escaped Gadreel; a small, tiny human-like gesture that seemed entirely prompted by the very human gesture that Abner had showed him - and the younger didn’t seem to be about to let go, either.

"I was so disappointed. You - you out of all, Gadreel. I couldn’t believe it."

"I am sorry, my friend. I was - I thought it was -"

"You were jealous and you were stupid. What is the reason? What drove you into that madness, Gadreel? It’s been killing me ever since - well, figuratively, given that… you handled the physical part just fine."

Gadreel shivered as they finally separated. He couldn’t look Abner in the eye from the shame that he felt.  
"I thought I was buying back my reputation."

"Ah, redemption. It was always what I came back to - I wasn’t wondering about that. I was wondering how my demise fit into the plan exactly. I felt stupid, signing my own death sentence. ‘The price is worth paying’. I didn’t mean that, you know."

"I know."

"I thought you my friend. My brother, Gadreel."

"I… know."

Abner shook his head and sighed. Then he reached out a hand and gripped the older’s jaw, forcing him to look at him. His aura was now in full colour, shining bright with the shades of sunset: it lit up the whole dark passage they stood in, even the water and the dirty melting snow at the ends and by the walls of the passage.

"Tell me. So that we can both move on."

Gadreel examined him for a while, feeling as if bursting with fondness and regret and love for the other. Then, suddenly, he seemed to connect with the words and cast a look around himself instead.  
"Where are we?"

"I don’t know, if I’m honest with you, and you know that I always am."  
Abner shrugged, letting go again.  
"I just know that I can’t move on before I’ve had this talk with you."

"You’ve been…  _here_  the whole time?”

Abner shrugged again.  
"Well, not  _here_. This is the way out. I always remember something urgent when I try to pass to the other side, and return to the city out there. Then I remember nothing is urgent here. It’s been a pain.”

Gadreel smiled crookedly. He sighed and looked down again: his conscience wasn’t letting him rest.  
"What if we take the walk together?" he asked then, looking ahead.  
"I have a feeling it’s where we must go."

Abner nodded.  
"You tell me as we go, then?" he asked, and Gadreel nodded in turn.

"I will tell you everything, my friend."


End file.
